After driving hysteria with claims federal immigration agents were snatching parents from Michigan’s Ypsilanti school bus stops in front of their children, Washtenaw County’s first pansexual sheriff is walking back her bogus allegations.
On Wednesday, Washtenaw County Sheriff Alyshia Dyer alleged in a Facebook post that “ICE detained a mother in front of her child in the Ypsilanti area, along with other residents” on Monday.
“Based on the information we currently have, ICE activity did not occur on any school grounds,” she wrote in a post that included a letter from Ypsilanti Community Schools Superintendent Alena Zachery-Ross about “the pain, fear, and disruption this causes.” “However, it did take place near bus stops in the Ypsilanti community, and it appears that parents connected to local schools were targeted at a bus stop in Ypsilanti during student drop-off times.”
The post and letter from Ypsilanti schools spawned news reports from WDIV, The Michigan Daily, WXYZ, MLive, Michigan Advance and other mainstream media outlets decrying the “heartbreaking” ordeal.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement quickly called out Dyer’s “lies,” and she was forced to come clean on Thursday.
“ICE does NOT target schools for enforcement actions or bus stop locations,” ICE wrote in an email to The Detroit News. “To be clear, NO children were present during these arrests … lies like these are just another reason why our officers are grappling with a 1,300% increase in assaults, a 3,200% increase in vehicle attacks and a staggering 8,000% uptick in death threats.”
Dyer, who employs a “very strict immigration policy” and Immigration Rights Policy Team to protect illegal immigrants, posted an update to Facebook on Thursday, when she admitted the information she broadcast to the community was unconfirmed and inaccurate.
“I was able to have a conversation with immigration enforcement leadership and they confirmed they were in Washtenaw on 1/27, but were not, and will not, do any enforcement on school grounds, or school bus stops,” she wrote. “They have agreed to better communicate in the future when they leave Washtenaw County, and any additional reports of activity on 1/28 have been confirmed to be rumors.”
ICE issued a statement to WDIV and others to set the record straight.
“ICE officers were conducting targeted operations seeking to apprehend illegal aliens with final orders of removal from the United States, Jan. 27, 2026. During the intelligence-based operation, ICE officers observed two vehicles leave the target’s residence and initiated a vehicle stop,” the statement read.
“During the vehicle encounter, officers encountered (two people), both illegal aliens from Honduras, and (third person), an illegal alien from Mexico with a final order of removal. All three illegal aliens entered the U.S. under the Biden administration’s catch and release policies. During the second vehicle encounter, officers detained (fourth person) an illegal alien from Honduras.”
In an email to The News, ICE identified the illegal immigrants arrested as Delmy Yamileth Molina Vasquz, Gissel Alejandra Pavon Nunes, and Elder Alberto Veliz-Mencia, all from Honduras, and Carolina Hernandez-Aviles, from Mexico.
“We encourage all illegal aliens to take control of their departure with the CBP Home App. The United States is offering illegal aliens $2,600 and a free flight to self-deport now,” ICE wrote in the statement cited by WDIV. “We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right legal way to live the American dream. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return.”
Dyer’s panic-inducing post, coincidentally, came the day before Senate Democrats held a hearing in the Committee on Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety on a package of bills designed to restrict ICE activity in Michigan.
The legislation aims to jail law enforcement who shield their identity to prevent attacks on their families, ban government agencies from sharing information with ICE, and prohibit arrests at churches, schools, hospitals, and courthouses.
“This is a top priority issue for a large number of us … in the Senate Democratic Caucus,” committee Chair Stephanie Chang, D-Detroit, told Bridge Michigan.
Dyer, a Democrat, was sure to include information on the legislation in her Facebook post.
“I … want to highlight Michigan Senate Bills 508-510 (2025-2026), a legislative package that aims to protect ‘sensitive locations,’ including schools, hospitals, and places of worship, from immigration enforcement actions,” she wrote. “I strongly hope these bills are supported to provide clearer protections and additional safeguards for our communities.”
The legislation, if approved, are expected to be dead on arrival in the Republican-controlled state House.
“We want to work with ICE,” House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Twp., said at a recent press conference. “We want to ban sanctuary cities, so we don’t have to worry about our state and city funding being in jeopardy.”
